In phytochrome Agp2 ultrafast proton-transfer occurs from the chromophore to a hydrogen-bonded water network in the protein prior to photoisomerization. The altered hydrogen bonds persist after photoisomerization and trigger together with the new chromophore geometry the activated protein conformation.

Porphyrin ligand modification by acceptor-acceptor iodonium ylides is not necessarily a dead-end catalyst deactivation pathway, but can actually have a useful protective function by slowing-down deactivation pathways of the metalloradical cobalt(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin catalyst.

We have developed a general methodology for heterogeneous iron-catalysed deuteration reactions. The catalytic system is effective for selective deuteration of anilines, indoles, phenols, and other heterocyclic compounds including late-stage labelling of natural products as well as bioactive molecules and can be readily used for the preparation of deuterated compounds on kg-scale.

In a collaboration with Paul Dauenhauer's group at the University of Minnesota through the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers, we have developed a new strategy to deoxygenate hydrocarbons produced by microbial fermentation of glucose using simple Lewis acid catalysis.